


Home With Me

by amoama



Category: North and South - Elizabeth Gaskell | UK TV
Genre: F/M, Future Fic, Near Future
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2015-10-04
Updated: 2015-10-04
Packaged: 2018-04-24 19:45:03
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 300
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/4932868
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/amoama/pseuds/amoama
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>John and Margaret return to face Mrs Thornton.</p><p>For the Drabble Day prompt, "Groom".</p>
            </blockquote>





	Home With Me

By the time the train reaches Milton, somehow, without a word, Margaret feels as though she and John are already married.

“Ready?”

John’s asking about this first, mammoth task of informing his mother that she’s here to stay. Margaret gives in to her nerves for one moment and hides her face in his shirt.

“No,” she complains and feels his chest shake as he laughs. She looks up. She’s seen him smile so rarely. The joy on his face now is completely unprecedented.

“Come,” he says, kindly, “She loves me, and by a miracle, you do to. That will help.” 

*

“Put your necktie back on,” Margaret tells John when they reach the door, “I don’t want your mother to think I’m the reason you look so dishevelled.”

The tease earns her a kiss and his obedience. She helps him tie the cravat and straightens his collar, unnecessarily, for the pleasure of smoothing her fingers over his neck. He catches them and kisses each hand.

“Come,” he says, “She saw us arrive already.”

Margaret braces herself, sighing inwardly; no one guards a window better than Old Battleaxe Thornton. Especially if her son or that no-good interloper Miss Hale is in view. 

*

Mrs Thornton is waiting, intently unpicking the pattern on some linen.

She hugs her son first, raises her hand to his cheek. Silently, they communicate a wealth of love, worry and forgiveness. Then, gathering herself, she turns to Margaret.

“You’ve returned so soon, Miss Hale.”

“Mother, Margaret and I,” John begins.

“I know, John, I have eyes, don’t I?” his mother interrupts, “I said she’d be a fool not to have you. Well, here she is, at last, less of a fool then I believed. Won’t you sit down, Miss Hale, your toing and froing must have tired you out.”


End file.
